Washington ESD asking if I collected unemployment benefits during my unemployment period - confused about this question

This question is asking about any UI benefits you may have received during your current spell of unemployment before filing this particular claim. For example, if you were unemployed for 3 months, collected benefits for 2 months, went back to work briefly, then became unemployed again - they want to know about those previous 2 months of benefits during this overall unemployment period.

Yeah this question trips up a lot of people. They're basically asking if you've already been getting UI payments during this current stretch of being unemployed. It's to prevent duplicate claims or to understand your benefit history for this episode of unemployment.

I had this same question when I was filling out my forms last month. I ended up calling Washington ESD to clarify, but good luck getting through to someone. I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent pretty quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. The agent confirmed it's about any benefits during your current unemployment period, not historical ones from years ago.

I think I'm still confused. What if I was getting benefits, then went back to work for like 2 weeks, then got laid off again? Do those first benefits count as 'during my unemployment period' if I'm technically unemployed again?

ugh washington esd forms are the worst. i just put no on everything unless im 100% sure lol

I had to deal with this exact question last year. The key thing to understand is they're asking about THIS unemployment period specifically. So if you started being unemployed in January and it's now March, they want to know if you got any UI benefits between January and March. It's not asking about benefits you got in 2023 or from other states necessarily.

The way I understand it, Washington ESD wants to know your complete benefit history for this episode of unemployment. This includes regular UI, any standby benefits if you were on temporary layoff, or even partial benefits if you were working reduced hours. It's all about painting a complete picture of your situation.

This question caused me so much stress when I was filing. I overthought it completely. Turns out for my situation the answer was just 'no' because I hadn't received any benefits during my current unemployment period - I was filing for the first time. Sometimes the simple answer is the right one.

I actually got in trouble for answering this wrong initially. I said 'no' but I had received benefits earlier in my unemployment period from a different claim. Washington ESD caught it during their review and I had to provide explanations and documentation. Just be honest and thorough - it's better to over-explain than to leave something out.

The key word here is 'period' - they mean during this continuous stretch of unemployment. Not benefits from years ago, not benefits from other states (unless you moved mid-unemployment), just this current period. If you've been unemployed since December and it's now February, they want to know about December through February.

I ran into this same confusion and ended up using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get through to Washington ESD. The agent I spoke with was really helpful in explaining that it's about your current unemployment episode, not your entire unemployment history. Worth the peace of mind to get official clarification directly from them.

Just to add another perspective - if you collected benefits, then found work, then lost that job within a short period (like within the same benefit year), you might still be in the same 'unemployment period' for their purposes. The benefit year doesn't reset just because you worked for a few weeks. This is where it gets tricky.

This thread has been super helpful! I was getting ready to file and this same question was confusing me. Sounds like for most first-time filers during their current unemployment, the answer is simply 'no'. But if you've had any benefits during this current stretch of being unemployed, you need to report them. Thanks everyone!

One more thing to consider - if you're reactivating an old claim versus filing a new one, this question might be interpreted differently. Reactivated claims have different rules about benefit history reporting. Just something to keep in mind depending on your specific situation.

I actually called Washington ESD about this exact question last week using Claimyr and the agent told me that if you're unsure, it's better to say 'yes' and then explain your situation in the additional comments section rather than saying 'no' and potentially having issues later. They'd rather have too much information than too little.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. The Washington ESD forms can be so intimidating when you're already stressed about being unemployed. Having a community to help figure out these confusing questions makes such a difference.

I'm dealing with this same confusing question right now! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like the consensus is that they're asking about benefits during your current, continuous period of unemployment - not historical benefits from years ago or previous unrelated unemployment spells. For those of us filing for the first time during our current unemployment period, the answer would simply be "no." I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences, especially those who actually spoke with Washington ESD agents to get official clarification. The tip about using the comments section to explain your situation if you're unsure is brilliant too. Thanks for making this stressful process a little more manageable!

I just went through this exact same confusion a few weeks ago! The wording of that question really threw me off too - it does seem like a circular question when you're applying FOR benefits. After reading through everyone's explanations here, I finally understand they're asking about your current unemployment spell specifically. In my case, I had been unemployed for about 6 weeks before I finally got around to filing my claim, so during those 6 weeks I obviously hadn't collected any benefits yet since I hadn't applied. So my answer was "no." But if someone had been getting benefits earlier in their current unemployment period and then had to file again for some reason, they'd need to report those. The key is really focusing on "during your unemployment period" meaning THIS current stretch of being unemployed. Thanks everyone for breaking this down - Washington ESD really needs to work on their form wording!